Day: 261 16/3/03 Ulverston to Grange-over-Sands

Weather: Clear skies, little wind, chilly.

Distance:  34 km (21.1 miles)    Total Distance:   3363 miles

I parked the car at the GSK factory and then headed up the estuary.  Unfortunately, after about a mile there is no public right of way along the estuary and walkers like me are forced to go inland and frustratingly end up on the main road.  Up until the main road though the path was quite interesting but the path under the railway itself was very muddy. 

After a while of walking along the main road there is a separate path for walkers,  a little safer anyway.  A new footbridge took me over the river and then once again I had to go inland a little, up through some woods before daring to take a track through the woods.  It wasn’t definitely a right of way but it didn’t go anywhere near houses so I thought I would be OK. 

After a while I got down onto the sand again and made reasonable progress that way.  The first signs of real life were around Barker Scar which was a caravan park.  I was hoping I would be able to get along the railway line at this point but it was not so easy walking.  The public footpath through Old Park Wood was not that easy to find either and not well used.  

Holker Hall was also not for walkers and I was forced inland again before coming out on the road to Cark.  After Cark I headed down to the estuary again which was peaceful.  I didn’t see much more signs of life again till I came to the road that skirted the airfield were people were out parachuting – sponsored no doubt. 

The walk up and down Humphrey Head added another contrast to the day. Finding my way from there over the mud to Kent’s Bank was a challenge but from there on to Ulverston there was a defined path though not very often used in sections.  A very varied days walking.

I caught the train back to Ulverston from the very attractive Grange over Sands station. It took a long time to arrive and there were no platform announcements to say about any delay so I ended up using my mobile to find out and reassure and elderly lady that it was on its way.

I stayed at the Walkers Hostel in Ulverston which was an nice experience.  I was welcomed with a pot of tea. The owners were keen walkers and keen on everything organic etc.  The man had a strange voice as his vocal chords had been damaged when he had once contracted Legionaries Disease.  I ate out in a pub in the town that night. I appeared to be the only guest.